LONDON, Ont. – Although there weren't any zombies on the floor, the Mustangs men's volleyball team pulled out a thriller on Friday night, defeating the Waterloo Warriors 3-2 (19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 38-36, 17-15) in five close sets.
 
With the win, the Mustangs continue their undefeated season with a 4-0 record, while Waterloo stands at 2-2.  
 
"We never gave up," said Mustangs head coach Jim Sage. "It was an OUA matchup against a team that hates us and it's so much fun, but stressful to compete against those guys. They'll be back, they're going to be around, and it was a great men's volleyball match."
 
After opening up the set with consecutive unforced errors, the Mustangs struggled to combat the strong attacks and towering blocks coming from Waterloo and quickly fell behind. Forced into a time-out at 11-15, the Mustangs attempted to adjust offensive play to avoid the Waterloo blocks.
 
Returning from a second time out, the Mustangs fired out two powerful hits to force the Warriors into their first time out of the night. However, after a Mustang serving error, the Warriors took the set 19-25.
 
Despite kicking off the second set with an early lead, Waterloo struggled to keep the Mustangs at bay as Western soon caught up and tied at 8-8. Trading points, both teams struggled to distance themselves from the other as they again tied at 12-12, 14-14 19-19, and 21-21.
 
Regaining the serve after a carefully placed tip from veteran player Justin Scapinello, the Mustangs won the set 25-22 with an unforced Warrior error.
 
Starting off the third set with another early lead, the Warriors continued to trip up the Mustangs with strong blocks and powerful attacks. Unwilling to give up the third set, the Mustangs fought back with aggressive defensive play to tie up the score at 12-12.
 
Taking the lead after a kill from third year Mike Choja, Scapinello served consistently to extend the team's lead to 17-13 with five unanswered points. Refusing to let the set go without a fight, Waterloo pushed through the set blocks and hit strategically to tie up the set at 20-20 and force a Western time-out.
 
Waterloo took the set after two consecutive errors by the Mustangs, ending the set 23-25.
 
The fourth set began with Western and Waterloo continuously trading points, until the Warriors began to pull away after cutting off attacks with seemingly impenetrable blocks.
 
Utilizing the consistency of Zeid Hamedeh and Brad Hockin's serves, the Mustangs caught up to Waterloo to remain competitive in the set with blocks from Scapinello and Chris Newcombe pushing the Mustangs into the lead at 16-14.
 
Refusing to allow the Mustangs a win, Waterloo soon tied up the score at 19-19, and again at 24-24. The two teams would continue to trade points, however after regaining the serve after an unforced error by Waterloo, consecutive attacks from Newcombe won the set for the Mustangs 38-36.
 
Opening up the fifth set with a refusal to leave the floor without a win, both teams attempted to exploit known weak spots of the opposition. Struggling to overcome the blocking power of Waterloo, Western fell behind 8-5 midway through the set.
 
Keeping the score close at 14-14, the Mustangs were unwilling to give up the win.
Taking the lead at 16-15 after an attack from Doug Austrom, Newcombe ended the game from the Mustangs with a block to bring the score to 17-15.
 
Justin Scapinello continues to be the point leader for the Mustangs, recording 27 points from 23 kills, one solo block and three service aces. Meanwhile, Zachary Dohery of the Warriors also recorded 27 points, with third year Chris Newcombe recording 20.5.
 
The Mustangs look to continue their winning streak with a November 1 game against Guelph, set to begin at 8 p.m. at Alumni Hall.